


The Fairy and His Falcon

by WitchoftheWaste



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairytale, Falcon!Merlin, Flower fairy!Arthur, Kid Fic, M/M, fairytale AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-18
Updated: 2015-07-18
Packaged: 2018-04-09 23:45:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4368944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WitchoftheWaste/pseuds/WitchoftheWaste
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arthur is a baby fairy who needs rescuing. Little Merlin is happy to oblige.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Fairy and His Falcon

**Author's Note:**

> Blatantly stolen from the 19th century children's story, 'The Flower Babies', written by Marion Wallace Dunlop and Marion Rivett Carnac. I do not own the Merlin characters or the story idea. I do not own the art either, which is done by Michael Hague. Many thanks to him.

Once upon a time, when magic was part of the very fabric of the world, and there were very few sceptics or tyrants, there lived a little fairy baby. He was slightly chubby, really a very small little mite, and his name was Arthur. He was very young - just a toddler - and he only knew how to smile and laugh, how to play, and most importantly, how to love. He wasn't plagued with worry or doubt or uncertainty.

Now, Arthur was a fairy, so he had the most beautiful little gold wings, with red tips. He loved flying low over fields full of wild flowers, or splashing in a stream. Unlike other fairy babies, Arthur was quite a venturesome sprite. Most of the other babies would just sit on flowers, sucking their thumbs, and laughing with delight at the world. But Arthur only sucked his thumb sometimes, when he was bewildered or serious.

One day, when Arthur was sitting comfortably on the branch of a tree, looking around him to see what he could find to play with, he heard a strange noise. A sort of mewling. He looked up, and on the branch above him was a strange thing covered in feathers. Arthur had only seen birds a few times, and this one was scarier than the little robins he sometimes played with. It had powerful claws and a beak that looked wickedly sharp. But instead of trying to eat Arthur, the bird seemed to be struggling.

'Please, little fairy, please help me,' it said, and Arthur was only slightly surprised to learn that he could understand it. 'A great giant of a human tried to capture me, and tied these strange things to my legs. I got away, but now I'm caught on this tree. Please, untie the knots around my legs.'

Arthur thought the great bird was terrifying, but he seemed so polite. Before he could think it over - and he was just a little one, so he could not think very hard - he flew up to the branch the bird was caught on and untied the leather strings around the bird's feet. The bird flapped joyously, nearly hitting Arthur.

Seeing the bird now, no longer struggling, Arthur was struck by its beauty. It was still frightening, but in a slender, graceful way. And Arthur was particularly thrilled by its eyes. Arthur had the distinct impression that someone had told him that birds all had yellow eyes. But the falcon had the most stunning blue eyes Arthur had ever seen. They were darker than Arthur's own, and seemed to glitter, not with malice, but with kindness.

'Thank you, fairy. I am a Merlin,' the bird said. 'What exactly are you, may I ask?'

Arthur grinned up at the Merlin, letting out a little gurgle of joy. He'd never met anyone quite this lovely. 'I'm an Arthur. And it was no trouble helping you at all.'

And with that, the Merlin flew away, looking over his shoulder at Arthur as he went.

\----------------------------------------------

It was getting very warm, and the sun was hot, so Arthur flew down from the tree and curled up under the shade of a great rose bush. He fell asleep very quickly, dreaming of flying alongside a slim and beautiful Merlin.

It was very hot, and all the world seemed to be asleep. There was no one to tell Arthur of the danger. For two young humans had spotted him under the rose bush.

'Look, a fairy baby,' said one human to the other.

'Wouldn't it be dreadfully fun to pull off its wings? They can't fly that way, but the little idiots try so hard to manage without them anyway,' added the other.

'Tell you what,' said the first human, 'we'll sell the wings. After all, aren't fairy wings worth a lot of money?'

Arthur was still dreaming of his Merlin. They were flying over a forest, wings bumping together. But suddenly, his wings stopped working, and he was falling out of the sky, down towards the ground, away from the Merlin. He heard the Merlin say, 'Stay with me, Arthur,' but he just kept plummeting down.

Arthur woke with a start.

What was it that had tugged at him and hurt him? Arthur rubbed his eyes and stumbled to his feet. He tried to rise into the air, to fly up into one of the roses he had been sleeping under. But he couldn't get up off the ground. He stood on his toes and tried again, but he could not get into the air.

Arthur could not understand it. His back was sore and uncomfortable. Perhaps he had slept on a thorn? He tried to turn his head to look and that was when he realised. His wings were gone, just gone. In their place were two little stumps, and he gasped as he felt a trickle of blood run down his back. The smell of copper filled the air.

Arthur's face crumpled and he fell to the ground, weeping. He sobbed and sobbed as if his little heart would break.

But suddenly, he felt the brush of something soft on his face. 'Don't cry, don't cry. What has happened, little one?' asked a voice.

Arthur looked up, the tears still streaming down his face, clouding his vision. It was the Merlin, his Merlin. A warm glow spread through Arthur's chest, and all of a sudden he felt sure somehow that he would be all right, as long as his Merlin was here.

'Oh, Merlin. It was very drefful,' Arthur said, burying his face in the Merlin's lovely feathers. 'I woke up, and den dey were gone.'

'They took your wings didn't they?' said the Merlin, gently. 'Those humans. Don't worry, Arthur. I'll save you, just like you saved me. Because,' and here, the Merlin actually winked at him, 'I'm a little bit magic.'

And the Merlin seemed to say something else, something Arthur couldn't hear properly, something he didn't understand. And then the Merlin's captivating eyes shined and sparkled with little golden flecks.

And Arthur could feel the most wonderful tickling glow start, all up and down his back. And he looked over his shoulder, and there were the most beautiful wings he had ever seen. They were blue and silver, and Arthur started to cry again, this time with joy.

He threw his arms around the Merlin's neck, and cried, 'They are the beautifullest fing. Oh, fank 'oo, Merlin. Fank 'oo!'

The Merlin enfolded Arthur in his wings, nuzzling Arthur's tear streaked face with his own. 'I will never leave you,' the Merlin said softly. 'I will look after you till the day I die.'

And they both started to fly, up into the sky, together, laughing at how wonderful the world was. And the Merlin never left Arthur alone again, and they never let the humans, or anyone else, destroy their bliss.

 


End file.
